Congress assures govt to vacate Chanakyapuri flat by April 15: Report

New Delhi, Apr 04: The Congress has assured the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry that it will vacate an accommodation in Chanakyapuri in Lutyens' Delhi by April 15, official sources said on Monday.

The assurance came days after the Directorate of Estates issued a show-cause notice to the party asking it to vacate a flat which was earlier occupied by party chief Sonia Gandhi's aide Vincent Gorge in Chanakyapuri.

Sources said that Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal has submitted in written that the party will vacate the Chanakyapuri flat by April 15.

In the eviction notice issued on March 25, the directorate had flagged the "unauthorised occupation" of the flat and said it should be vacated.

The notice said the allotment for the accommodation was cancelled in 2013 by the directorate.

According to the officials, damages amounting to approximately Rs 3 crore can be levied on the Congress for overstaying at the Chanakyapuri property.

The party had been asked to respond to the notice within three working days.

Meanwhile, eviction proceedings will be launched on Tuesday against BJP Lok Sabha MP and former Union minister P C Sarangi to vacate the 10 Pandit Pant Marg bungalow, sources said on Monday.

"We have asked the Delhi Police to provide security personnel to start the eviction proceedings against the illegal occupant of the 10 Pandit Pant Marg bungalow," a source told PTI.

They also said that on Wednesday, similar proceedings will be initiated against BJP Lok Sabha MP and former Union minister Ram Shankar Katheria, and the police force has been requested to provide security cover.

As part of its action against illegal occupants of government bungalows, the ministry had evicted Lok Sabha MP Chirag Paswan last week from the 12, Janpath bungalow allotted to his late father Ram Vilas Paswan in 1990.